Game apparatus.



F. w. HITCHINGS GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED AUG-l6, m5.

1,178,158. Patented Apr.4,1916.

4W 4! A J :0 as 10 5: WWW A v: A 7 am I; 72- J Jzlarzzagu FREDERIC WADE HITCHINGS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERIC WADE HITCHINGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement 1 n Game Apparatus, of which the following 1s a full, clear, and exact description. I

' This invention is an improved game apparatus intended to amuse andinterest the players, and organized so as to require considerable skill and judgment to play the game successfully. 1

The apparatus includes essentially a movable carrier on which are means for temporarily suspending a projectile, and means,

operable by aplayer located at a distance from the movable carrier, by which said projectile may be released whenever, in the judgment of the'player, it should be released in order that it-may when released hit a suitable target.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts shown in the drawings and hereinafter described and .pointed out definitely in the appended V satisfactory form of target.

Referring to the parts by letters, 10 represents an overhead tramway for the support of the carrier. As shown, and preferably. this is a wire connected at its ends to suitable supports on opposite sides of the walls'of a room; which wire slightly inclines from one end to the other. It should contain a turn buckle 12' for tightening it. Adjacent the low end of this wire tramway, is a buffer comprising a plate 13 fixed to the wire, a plate 1 1 movable on the wire,- and an interposed spring 15. .The carrier 20 may be of anydesired form; and it is provided with two upwardly extended brackets 21 on which grooved rollers 22 are mounted in such wise that they may be supported by and travel on the wire.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' this car.

Patented Apr. 1, 1916.

Application filed August 16, 1915.. SerialNd. 45,657.

Depending from the carrier proper is what may be termed a car 23. On this an electro-magnet 24 is secured. The armature lever 25 is pivoted to a bracket 26 and extends horizontally toward the front end of At the front end is a slotted bracket 26, the sides of which are separated at a suitable distance to allow the loop 31 of the projectile '30 to pass. This armature lever at its free end has a laterally turned finger 27 which passes through a hole in said bracket 26, and through the loop 31 which then lies between the two arms of the bracket. The projectile is therefore supported by the finger 27 on the end of the armature lever. The electric current is carried to the electro-magnet by suitable circuit wires, and preferably through an ordinary two-wire cord 33, which of course is suitably connected with the source of electric supply, and has also a mechanical connection with the carrier. Somewhere in the circuit a switch 35 is connected. The projectile 30 is preferably a bag of sand or shot, but it may be of any form which suits the fancy, and is suit-' able for use with the particular target which is provided. I

40 representsthe target in which are several holes 41; and beneath those holes there may be, if desired, apocket 42 as shown in Fig. 5. This is to be placed on the floor be- -neath the tramway wire 10.

In order to play the game, the carrier is drawn backward, and this may be done by pulling. uponthe cord until the carrier is at the high end of the wire. It is then allowed to run freely, and when'the player thinks that it has reached the proper position above the target he closes the electric switch 35, thereby energizing the magnet through which the armature lever is moved so as to withdraw the finger from the loop 31 and allow the projectile to drop.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A game'apparatus comprising in combination, an lnclined elevated tramway, a-

carrier adapted to travel on said tramway, a projectile, mechanism on the carrier for supporting said projectile, and means' operable from a distance and during the motion of the carrier for withdrawing. said projectile supporting means and permitting the-projectile to drop at any desired point in the travel of the carrier and without interfering with the movement thereof.

2-. A game apparatus comprising in combination, an inclined elevated tramway,a carrier adapted to travel on said tramway, a projectile, mechanism on the carrier for supporting said projectile, and means oper-.

able from a distance and during the motion of the carrier for withdrawing said projectile supporting means and permitting the projectile to drop at any desired point in the travel of the carrier and without interfering with the movement thereof, and a target be- 3 neath said overhead tramway. A

projectile without interfering with the movement of the carrier, and a distantly placed switch in the circuit of said electromagnet.

4. A game apparatus comprising in combination, an inclined elevated tramway, a carrier adapted to travel on said tramway,

an electro-magnet mounted on said carrier,

a projectile support under the control of the armature of-said electro-magnet, an electric circuit cord which is mechanically connected with said carrier and electrically connected with said magnet and with a source of electrical energy to control the operation of the projectile support during the movement of the carrier and without interfering with the movement thereof, and an electric switch connected in said circuit cord.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERIC WADE HITCHIN GS. Witnesses: I a

E. L. THURSTON, A. J. HUDsoN. 

